Apple Upside-Down Cake

This cake is beautiful. It guarantees lots of oohs and ahhs just because it's so pretty. And who doesn't love flipping a cake and waiting for the surprise of how it will look?

For the apples, I prefer to leave them unpeeled. The skin gets soft in the oven and baked in with the butter, but it's up to you if you prefer yours peeled. Plus, it's much easier to leave them unpeeled!

You can get creative with the sugars in the cake recipe. Try molasses for a darker cake. Or use all honey or all maple syrup. Experiment with agave. If you don't have maple syrup or sugar for the whipped topping, you could try a little maple extract.

The Recipe

makes one 9-inch round cake

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt

3 to 4 apples - cut into slices (I did NOT peel them)
7 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups flour (maybe a little extra)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
extra butter, for greasing

Whipped Topping
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup maple sugar (or whatever kind you have)

Preheat oven to about 350F. Grease a 9-inch round pan.

Melt butter in small saucepan over low to medium heat. Add sugar and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until mixture starts to get thick. Stir in a little salt. Let cool slightly before spreading into pan.

Arrange your apple slices in the pan, pressing them lightly into the soft caramel.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix well. Add egg, buttermilk, honey and maple syrup. Mix well again. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients until well combined. Beat for a few minutes. Spread mixture on top of apples and caramel.

Bake for about 50-60 minutes. If the top gets too brown, cover with aluminum foil. While the cake is baking, whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form, stir in the sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve the cake warm dolloped with the whipped cream.

Pumpkin Cornbread

These are a few of my favorite things -- combined! This is a fun, Southern twist on my favorite fall staple of pumpkin bread or muffins. It makes a fine breakfast and also goes with savory dinner dishes, like chili or tortilla soup. While you can use freshly roasted and pureed pumpkin, the canned variety will do just fine.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Stir together just until combined. Add a little extra milk if the mixture seems dry.

This is a big batch so I had enough for a skillet and some jumbo muffins, which I plan to freeze for later.

The Recipe

makes one 9x13-inch pan of cornbread OR 1 small skillet and about 6 jumbo muffins

2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1/4 cup ground flax (optional)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
butter, for greasing pans

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Grease your pans with butter.

In a large bowl, mix the first eight ingredients until combined and brown sugar clumps are broken up. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (except butter) until well combined. Combine the two mixtures and stir just until moistened.

Bake for about 30 minutes (depending on which pan you use). Check periodically and remove when a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm, drizzled with a little honey or maple syrup, if you want.